Lent is now in full swing. Many of us typically think of Lent as a season to prepare for Easter, and there is truth in that. But did you know: Lent was originally something different. If you look back at the ancient Church, Lent is actually about the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA). 

In the first few months of my priesthood, I had virtually the same experience with three different people on three different occasions. The first was when I went to the hospital to visit a patient there who turned out to be a lifelong Protestant and, while I was there, I half-jokingly suggested that if he should want to come into the Church, I could make that happen. The second was, upon hearing about this, another parishioner came to visit me and told me that that was essentially how she had come into the Church herself: through a simple invitation. Later that day, I came across an article on Facebook suggesting that, as modern evangelizers, the goal should be to invite people rather than try to outright persuade them of the truth.